Salient Advisory is celebrating five years of accelerating African healthtech innovation, having facilitated over $20 million in catalytic funding to startups improving healthcare access across the continent.
Why it matters
Since launching in 2020, Salient has become a key connector between African-led healthtech startups and the global health ecosystem. The firm’s work supports efforts to improve access to life-saving medicines and services through market intelligence, strategic partnerships, and funding initiatives.
By the numbers
- $20M+ in revenue and risk-tolerant funding catalyzed
- 1,000+ African health-focused innovators tracked
- 65+ startups and 15 governments supported
- 630+ curated startup-customer meetings facilitated
- 26 ecosystem reports published
Zoom in
Through its Investing in Innovation (i3) program—backed by the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, MSD, Cencora, and Chemonics—Salient provided 38% of all grant funding to African healthtech startups in 2023. The initiative gives innovators the financial runway to validate, grow, and attract long-term capital.
What they’re saying
“We founded Salient because we saw a gap: a disconnect between promising African innovations and the capital, visibility, and systems they needed to scale,” said Mara Hansen Staples, Founder of Salient Advisory.
“Five years on, the interest in sustainable, locally-driven, digitally-enabled approaches to care has never been higher.”
What’s next
Salient plans to expand its impact by:
- Deepening support to governments and manufacturers on policy, regulation, and digitisation
- Scaling its Access to Markets events to connect more innovators with payors, providers, regulators, and investors
- Elevating the visibility of African-led innovation globally
- Continuing to tackle complex challenges to promote equitable healthcare access
Learn more about other African tech startups on Labari Insights, our data repository for tech in Africa: insights.techlabari.com
